Through the Looking Glass
by LovelyLori
Summary: Sakura didn't believe in time travel. Prince Leo of Nohr, third in line to the throne, made her change her mind when he waltzed through her mirror with his divine tome in hand.
1. A Fairytale

**AN:** Back in December, I wrote a oneshot about a time travel AU for LeoSaku Week and people really liked it. So I thought, "Huh, maybe I _should_ turn this into a multi-chapter fic," against my better judgement. So here it is! Thanks Ms. Rapis-Razuri and Mr. P.T. Piranha for beta-ing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

The flurries of snow that fell from the sky were unexpected, but it didn't make them any less pretty as they landed on Sakura's open palm, melting away as soon as they touched her. As she marveled at them, she could hear Hana let out a sigh of exasperation beside her. How strange, Sakura thought Hana liked the snow.

The chilling winds forced Sakura to place her hands back into the pockets of her jacket, while Hana shivered.

"Aw man, if I knew it was going to snow, I would've never come out here," Hana huffed, stuffing her own pockets with her hands as the two of them started on their path home. "Gods, it's almost April! You'd think it'd let up by now!"

Sakura let out a small bout of laughter. "Yes, but it isn't sticking. There's no need to pout about it," she assured her. "And besides, we had to come out here anyway to get our school uniforms. Though… I think we should have purchased them earlier."

The annoyance about the weather seemed to wash away in an instant at the mention of their school uniform, and Hana's bright smile from earlier reappeared. "It might be a little silly, but I'm super happy about getting them! It makes me feel like a super cool high school student already, you know?"

Sakura wasn't sure if she felt super cool, but she was glad that Hana felt that way. Graduating from middle school was so surreal to her. She wouldn't get to see all the same smiling faces that wished her a good morning every day, nor would they all hang out after school and chat about last night's television show or goof around.

Maybe she was feeling sadder about graduating than she originally thought. "B-But… don't you miss everyone in our class?" she asked tentatively.

Hana cocked her head to the side in question before a smile broke out on her face, one of reassurance. "Of course I miss everyone, but it'll be fine. Besides, we still have each other, don't we?"

Sakura began to smile too. "Hehe, we do. Still though," she started, "I can't help but feel nervous about the new school year. Do you think everyone is as nice as they were in middle school? Oh, a-and what about all the homework?"

"Ahhh! Don't mention homework!" Hana cried. "You're good at that stuff so you don't have to worry, but someone like me? I'm gonna tank!"

"I-If we study together, we'll be fine, right?" Sakura asked.

Hana looked at her in disbelief. "Are you asking _me?_ Because I don't know! If this is supposed to cheer me up, then you're not doing a very good job."

The corners of Sakura's lips twitched upwards before a laughed escaped her as Hana cried, "This is no laughing matter!"

"S-Sorry, sorry," she laughed. "I didn't mean to make you worry. But, you getting so riled up makes me think that we'll be just fine if we stick together."

"You're right," Hana beamed. "As long as we're together, we'll kick school's butt like mature young ladies."

 _Mature…_

That was another thing that bothered Sakura right after graduation. She certainly didn't feel all that mature. For some reason, after her 15th birthday a few days ago, Hana just seemed to exude an air of confidence about her. Now, Hana was always a confident girl, but there was some kind of new flair to her attitude that Sakura wished she had.

Maybe she'd get a burst of whatever it was that Hana got on her own birthday. In the meantime, it didn't stop Sakura from constantly wishing to become a bit more mature. When the two of them parted ways, Sakura decided that she would try on her new school uniform.

* * *

Engaging in battles with plain old Hoshidan soldiers was something that Leo would rather not partake in, seeing as though he had more pressing matters to tend to, but a few of them had gathered near the outskirts of Izumo just itching for a fight. How could he deny them their wish when they practically begged for combat, by pointing their weapons at him?

He wanted to stay low at least until he was out of Hoshido, but after looking at those soldiers, something in him felt the need to take his frustrations out on them. There were three of them – one readied his sword, prepared to lunge at him at any moment while the other provided support.

The third hung back, and Leo made a mental note to keep his eye on that one, lest he decide to fight dirty.

His attacker swung his blade, and although it looked so thin and frail, the sickening " _swoosh"_ sound it made as it sliced through the air let Leo know just how lucky he was to have dodged it. In one swift movement, Leo reached for Brynhildr, and he could feel its magic practically coursing through his veins.

With his right hand stretched out towards his enemy, Leo summoned a tree that hit the Hoshidan swordsman with full force, and then another, rendering him unconscious. His eyes flickered between the Hoshidan who wielded some sort of club and the other just ways away from him, unraveling something Leo knew as a scroll.

Leo struck first, not wanting to waste a moment in case he ended up on the receiving end of that club. As he cast his magic, Leo could see a flash of light through the corner of his eye. A jolt of electricity spread throughout his body, and he let out a cry of pain before a wicked smile spread across his lips.

He was careless; why did he expect Hoshidans to fight fair? Not that three against one was fair to begin with. The Hoshidan mage attacked again, and Leo could see electricity in the form of a tiger headed for him before he maneuvered his steed out of the way.

With a frown, he cried out, "I will erase you!" and tree branches shot up through the ground, going as far as impaling the soldier. There was a strangled gasp from the soldier as his blood painted the ground beneath them. The man behind him let out a cry of horror, and Leo turned to face him, his gaze hardened.

"Y-You… You monster!" the man cried.

Leo made no move to attack, nor did he say a word. He simply watched as the final soldier foolishly let his weapon slip from his fingers before retreating. Leo scoffed. "What a coward," he mumbled, before riding off. Ignoring the tingling sensation that mage gave him, Leo could only focus on the fact that his frustrations hadn't disappeared after that battle.

Instead, his mind wandered back to his brief time in Izumo, and his face immediately soured. It wasn't as if running into Corrin and his ragtag group of soldiers was bad enough, but then he had the audacity to speak nonsense and attempted to sway Leo's mind, as if he'd actually buy it.

 _You say Father's being controlled, but you can't say who's doing it?_ Leo thought. _What a joke!_

He could feel his grip tightening on the horse's reins. Soon, the horse let out a whinny, as if it could sense its master's feelings. Leo's teeth sunk into his bottom lip before commanding his mount to halt. Maybe he should take a small breather before continuing his journey.

He dismounted, and sat down by one of the nearby trees, his back resting on its trunk. He had to say, the greenery in Hoshido certainly was enviable. Leo let out a small sigh as he took in the beauty of it all, however, something that glimmered in the sunlight had caught his attention.

It was in a patch of grass not too far from him, and with Brynhildr tucked underneath his arm, Leo went to retrieve it. "A hand mirror…?" What was this doing all the way out here? Did it belong to some noblewoman? If so, she must have dropped it ages ago. It was cracked in some areas, and dirt smudged small sections of it.

Leo brought his finger to its surface to remove some of the dirt, but the same sensation of that Hoshidan soldier's attack jolted through his finger, and Leo immediately recoiled. "What the hell?" He studied his hand for a moment before a bright light emitted from the hand mirror.

He dropped it, making a move to get back on his horse, but this force was terribly strong. The last thing he could hear what the frantic whinnying of his horse before white noise filled his ears, and the trees of the forest were replaced with light so bright that he needed to close his eyes.

He had not a clue as to what was going on, but the only small comfort Leo had was to squeeze Brynhildr in his arms as he waited for it all to pass.

* * *

"I'm home," Sakura called out, but there was no response. She supposed that Takumi was still out with friends and that her mother was still down at the animal shelter. As for Hinoka, she wasn't quite sure, but Hinoka always stepped out whenever she pleased. She promised she'd start dinner for the three of them after she slipped into her uniform.

In a rush, Sakura bolted up to her room, eager to try everything on.

The red skirt stopped just above her knee, and fit rather snugly around the waist, especially with her white button down tucked inside. The beige blazer didn't fit too close, but it wasn't very loose either, just as she preferred it. It had taken her two tries to get the ribbon tie to look just right.

As she stood in front of her bedroom mirror, checking out her new uniform, something about it still didn't feel right. She didn't feel like a high school student. Maybe she should do something different with her hair? But it was so short. What could she possibly do with it?

She was sure that putting it in two ponytails would have the opposite effect she was going for. Maybe she could take the time to grow it out as long as Hinoka's was when she was around her age. She looked so lovely with long hair, it was a wonder why she decided to cut it.

As Sakura combed her fingers through her hair, something strange happened.

Her mirror began to ripple, as if stones had been tossed into water. Against her better judgement, she reached out towards it, only for it to begin to crack. Then, she backed away as far as she could, only able to watch in terror as little rays of light began to shine through the cracks on her mirror.

Piece by piece, little jagged chunks of her mirror had come off before the entire mirror shattered, and a dark figure emerged from the light. She had to squint just to look at him. Soon, the bright lights faded away, and when Sakura was able to get a good look at him, she was sure that she had never seen anyone quite like him before.

His armor was eerily dark, save for the touches of gold that lined the intricate edges of each curve and point. Some spots wore dust, others wore what looked to be blood. He was hauntingly beautiful, like something out of a dark fairytale.

Blond hair, although strewn about, held a type of shine to it. Those brown eyes with specks of marigold in them narrowed at her, and thin lips curled into a menacing scowl. Sakura could feel a tremor run through her in that moment.

He walked towards her, his boots crunching on the glass shards of her broken mirror. With each step he took, her heart seemed to race faster. No doubt out of fear. The purple book in his right hand opened and the pages began to rustle, as if a gust of wind swept through her bedroom. His left hand reached towards her, emitting a light purple glow.

In a cold, commanding voice, he asked her, "Who are you? And what is this place? Answer now or prepare to face the consequences, vile Hoshidan."

Sakura couldn't seem to find her voice. Her pupils dilated. Her lips quivered.

The next moment, she fainted.

Leo's eyes widened, and the purple glow around his hand faded as quickly as it came. Maybe he'd gone a little too far? She didn't seem to have any weapons on her, and it looked like he was the one who accidentally entered her space, rather than her bringing him here.

But as he looked around her bedroom, decorated in large pictures of colorful characters and bright lights illuminating the space, Leo had to wonder… where exactly was he?

* * *

Slowly, Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and it had taken her a moment to realize that she was staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. How long had she been asleep for?

…Exactly when _did_ she decide to take a nap anyway? And in her school uniform no less? It was going to get wrinkled!

But for some reason, she couldn't will herself to get out of bed. Instead, she managed to roll on her side, and that was when she came face to face with _him._ He sat on a chair by her bedside, reading one on the books that she purchased recently. When he felt her eyes on him, his gaze flickered up at her and he lowered the book.

With a small smirk on his lips, he spoke, "Ah, I was wondering when you would awaken."

Suddenly, everything was starting to come back to her – the broken mirror, the fear she felt when he approached her, the way her voice got caught in her throat. In an instant, she jolted up with a high-pitched scream. The back of her head didn't agree with her sudden movements, and she winced in pain.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," he said. Gee, it sure didn't feel like he wasn't going to hurt her when he suddenly showed up in her bedroom. "Besides, with the way you landed on the floor earlier, I'd refrain from moving around too much."

Sakura was at a loss of what to do. Should she call the police? She was worried that if she made any sudden movements, he'd try to attack her again. But what was he here for? Was he was going to kidnap her and ask for as much gold as he could possibly get? Or maybe he was some kind of thief that used magic to break into her home. Was that even real magic? She'd never seen magic used to attack others before, except for dramas on television.

Either way, she was scared. "Wh-Who are you, a-and what do you want?"

"Ah, of course. Where are my manners?" He stood up, placing the book on the seat behind him, and gave a bow. "I am Prince Leo of Nohr; fou- ... _third_ in line to the throne. Just for clarification, we are in Hoshido, correct?"

A prince? What was he talking about? Still, she answered him. "Um, y-yes… we are in Hoshido." Where else would they be? "Uh, i-if I'm not mistaken… N-Nohr doesn't have princes." At least not for centuries. The country did away with those forever ago.

Leo looked bewildered for a moment before he scoffed. "That can't be. How hard did you hit your head earlier?"

She frowned, heat rising to her cheeks. The nerve of this guy, breaking into her home and teasing her. Just who did he think he was? With her fear of him temporarily forgotten, she cried, "Y-you came into my house th-through my mirror and threatened to attack me! I-If anyone should be unwilling to believe something, it's me! No one here dresses like that, a-and they don't talk like that either! Is this some kind of mean prank?"

His eyes widened, and he instinctively drew back from her. "I-I assure you, this is no joke. I would never intrude upon a lady's private quarters just for a few laughs."

When she kept silent Leo continued on, "I do apologize for my behavior, truly. After I emerged from the battlefield victorious, I sat down for a rest. Then, I found some sort of hand mirror, and the next thing I knew, I came crashing through your mirror. You say this place is Hoshido, but although I've never been in the country for more than a moment's notice, something about this doesn't feel right."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Sakura asked. It was a struggle just trying to keep up with his story.

"There are so many things here that I've never seen before," said Leo. "I didn't think Hoshido was so advanced, as frustrating as that is to admit."

Sakura's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What do you mean by advanced?"

For a second, the corner of Leo's lips twitch upwards into a smirk. "See that glass of water by your bedside? I went to retrieve it after you fainted." Sakura glanced at the glass on her night stand, and then returned her focus back to Leo. That was thoughtful of him.

Then he must have been the one who placed her in bed. The sudden thought of a stranger holding her in her arms and putting her to bed made her stomach feel queasy. "I didn't get the idea until I started poking around your home, and I found myself tinkering with these silver knobs on the counter," he continued. "When I turned one, water began to flow! Is it some kind of magic you Hoshidans came up with?"

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. Was he being serious? "I-I'm positive that Nohr has r-running water as well. It's not magic… i-it's plumbing." Magic wasn't wasted on simple things like that, everyone knew that. Except for this "Prince Leo of Nohr" apparently.

"Surely you aren't speaking of the Nohr I come from?" Leo asked. "If we had clean, running water that came from pipes, it would fix a lot of our problems."

Now that he put it like that, Sakura was beginning to think that she and Leo weren't talking about the same place. What was she going to do with a supposed prince from Nohr who didn't have a grasp of the modern world?

"I… Y-you're not lying to me, r-right?" Sakura stammered. "This isn't just a terrible joke, i-is it?"

He grew quiet, as if in deep thought. "What more can I do to prove myself to you? I'm miles away from home and I've lost my mount – the only thing I have to show as proof of my heritage is the legendary tome," he said, gesturing to the purple book that rested on her nightstand. "I'm… not quite sure what else I can do," Leo said. The words had come out almost bitterly, as if being unsure was the worst thing that could have ever happened to him.

Sakura always knew she was a rather naïve girl. She lived for fantasy – wishing to cast magic of her own, or to even meet royalty from a kingdom far away. Here her fantasy was, clad in heavy armor and a magic book whose pages rustled without the wind, waiting patiently for her to say something. Anything.

She casted her gaze away from him, nervously playing with the hem of her skirt. "I… I don't know how we can get you back home b-but… I-I'd be willing to try."

Relief seemed to wash over his features, and he gave her another bow. "You have my thanks. I truly would not have known what to do otherwise.

"B-But if I'm going to help you, y-you have to do what I tell you," said Sakura quickly. "Things here are a bit… different where I'm from, s-so you have to try to fit in."

"Of course," said Leo with a smirk. "How hard could it be?"

Oh, it would prove to be very difficult. Especially since she was breaking one of the biggest rules of all time – having a boy in her room. If her parents ever found out, she would most definitely be in a world full of trouble.

Sakura was starting to feel a headache coming on. With a sigh, she swung her legs off of the bed and hopped off. Her gaze immediately fell on the broken glass that used to be her mirror. Maybe she should clean that up before anyone got hurt.

"W-Well, first, we'd have to get you some new clothes…" said Sakura. "I-It must be uncomfortable f-for you to walk around wearing that suit of armor a-all the time."

He smiled. "That would be much appreciated, thank you."

Sakura left to fetch a broom and dustpan, along with any clothes she could find. Leo looked a little too big to fit some of Takumi's clothes (and he'd know for sure that something of his had gone missing if Sakura had taken them out of his drawer) and he was certainly too small for her father's clothes.

Maybe Ryoma left behind some old clothes that Leo could borrow. It didn't take her long to find some that looked like they could fit him. When she returned to her room, his suit of armor and boots sat in one of the corners of her bedroom. He was fixated on his gauntlets for a moment before he turned his attention to her, and placed them on the edge of her bed.

"There you are," he spoke. "Are those for me?"

"Oh! Y-Yes they are," she squeaked, fumbling with all the items in her hands before handing over the clothes to Leo. "Um, y-you can put those on… a-and I'll just start cleaning o-over um… over here…" There was no appropriate way for her to describe just how tense she was.

She was too nervous to look over her shoulder, or ask him if he was alright. Instead, she tried to focus her attention on cleaning, though it was proving to be difficult since she could feel his eyes on her.

"Excuse me," he began.

"Y-Yes?"

"Where am I supposed to change?"

Oh right. How could she forget? "I-I'm so sorry! Um… I'll f-finish up whenever you're done s-so… I-I'll just be outside." With that, she scurried out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Leo hadn't even been here a full day, and Sakura was already at a loss of what to do with him.

She couldn't let her family see him, they'd kick him out of the house, no doubt, but where else could he stay? She didn't want Leo in her room, but if she let him stay in Ryoma's old bedroom, someone was bound to find him and call the police. Was her only option really to have him stay in her room?

Her cheeks grew warm.

Sakura had gotten a love letter from a boy once in the 6th grade, to which she had to reject. In grade 9, the only in physical interaction she had with a boy was when he held her hand to help her up after she'd fallen at the sports festival. To go from something so innocent to something so intimate as sharing a room with a boy… Sakura thought she'd melt.

"Excuse me," said Leo, his head poking out from behind the door. Sakura practically jumped out of her skin before she backed away from the door, and Leo's eyes began to narrow. "I… didn't mean to give you such a fright."

"Oh, n-no it's okay." Was it really, though? Her heart felt as if it was about to pop out of her chest. "D-Did you need something?"

"I was going to call out to you to tell you that I was finished, but I realized that I didn't quite catch your name earlier."

"I'm sorry," she started. "Um, m-my name is Sakura…"

"Well then Sakura, whenever you're ready to come inside," and with that, Leo retreated into the bedroom. Sakura took a deep breath in, and then out, attempting to calm herself down. When she stepped inside, she couldn't help but stare at Leo, despite how rude it was.

Dressed in Ryoma's old red hoodie and tracksuit pants from the 10th grade, Sakura thought that Leo looked a bit… strange. Not as strange as the heavy looking suit of armor he was wearing, but there was something off about him.

It didn't really look like his style. Maybe something closer-fitting would have looked better, but Ryoma's old clothes were all she had that could fit Leo somewhat decently. He stood before her, awkwardly checking out his new outfit with a furrowed brow.

"Y-You don't like it?" Sakura asked.

"Hm?" he hummed. "I don't dislike them. Though, I feel that a darker color would suit me better."

Ah, maybe it was the color that was throwing her off. "Is it at least c-comfortable?"

When he nodded, she breathed a sigh of relief. Soon after, she swept up the last of the glass shards and placed them in the waste bin next to her desk. Now that the shards of glass were cleaned up and Leo seemed to be looking rather comfortable, her first order of business was to let Leo know what he would be in for during his stay. "Um, I was thinking… m-my family might not be able to accept the fact that you're here, s-so you'll have to stay in here for a while."

Leo scoffed. "Ah, of course. I suppose it would be rather off-putting for a Nohrian to be in Hoshido."

"N-No, I don't think th-that's the case…" It was more of the fact that some man they didn't know was getting a bit too comfy in their house. "I'm not sure th-that I can e-explain to them that you're a prince from Nohr who's lost his way… They wouldn't even believe you s-since there are no more princes."

And her family was not as naïve as she was, so Leo was rather lucky he came here when she was home and not someone else. Gods forbid Hinoka, who planned to become a cop after her final year in university, showed up and took Leo on with her bare hands.

"Right, you did say that there were no princes here…" He tapped his chin in thought. "But it's not as if I'm in another world entirely… I'm just in Hoshido. So why does this feel different?"

"W-Well, y-you said earlier that you were fighting your enemies… what was going on?" she asked.

"We're in war currently. I was taking care of business elsewhere after a rather… unpleasant run in with someone…"

Sakura tilted her head to the side in question. "Who was it that you had an unpleasant run in with?" When Leo remained silent, she frowned. "L-Leo, I can't help you if you don't tell me e-everything you know… s-so please? Can you tell me who it was you had a run in with?"

Leo sighed. "It's silly. It's been days since it's happened, but I still think about it. My brother, Corrin," Leo answered finally. "We met up in Izumo, and then I left. That's… all I feel comfortable talking about."

"Oh! That name sounds familiar to me!" Sakura chirped.

"Does it? What do you know about him?" Leo asked, almost too eagerly.

Not a whole lot, but she was sure she would lean more about him once she started high school. She recalled Takumi mentioning his name a few times while in a study group. "We learned about him once in class, b-but we didn't focus on him too much. He fought in the Invisible War in… o-oh dear, I f-forgot the year." She certainly would have been scolded for that had she been in class. "H-Hold on, let's look it up."

"'Look it up'?" Leo parroted. "Are we going to a library or–" Leo paused mid-sentence while looking mildly perplexed as Sakura opened her laptop and turned it on. The startup melody rang in his ears, startling him. "What is _that?_ " he asked with a frown.

"Oh, this is my computer," Sakura explained with a smile. "I can write on it, play games, talk to my friends, and use the internet."

"And it truly does all the things you say it does?" he asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice. Sakura nodded. "What is this 'internet' anyway?"

Sakura hummed in thought, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "W-Well, the internet is like a type of library. You can ask a question and find information about almost anything."

Leo's eyes seemed to light up as he stared at Sakura's desktop. "Ask it if it knows what it is, and what its intended purpose is."

It was almost impossible for her to suppress her giggle, but Sakura managed to do so as she typed into the search box the definition of a computer. He looked quite stunned after reading the definition on the screen.

"What kind of sorcery…?" he asked quietly.

"I-It's not sorcery, it's technology," Sakura corrected. "W-We can look up how it works when we're done looking up what we need to." Leo seemed content with that answer, and Sakura began her search. Information on the war was relatively easy to find, and Sakura clicked on the first web result that popped up. "See? On this Ficipedia page, it talks about the Invisible War, and that Corrin, who became King of Valla, rallied Hoshido and Nohr together to stop the dragon named Anankos."

"…And what's this strange text over here?" Leo asked, pointing at her screen.

"Oh… th-that's Hoshidan text," she explained. "Um, i-it roughly translates to the War of Silent Night. It's what we usually call it h-here."

"I see…" Leo said. Strange, he looked to be in some sort of deep thought. "I've never heard of Valla before, and this internet says that Corrin becomes king of this place?" She gave a small nod, and Leo let out a small sigh. "Was he telling the truth all along? The internet also said he'd gotten the two kingdoms to unite together… how did he manage that?"

Sakura shrugged. "We can read on if you like."

"Of course, but, how does this internet know the outcome of the war?"

"That's because i-it's already happened, a-and it's now a part of our history." When Leo shot her a look of skepticism, she continued. "Leo, I-I think you traveled to the future." It all made sense. Based on their conversation about the Nohr that Leo lived in compared to what Nohr was like today, Sakura was reminded of a book she'd read a year ago. It was about a boy being able to travel through time to learn about history. "L-Look! Your name is even listed here. W-We can learn about you too."

"Truly?" he asked. "What does it say?"

"Hmm… it talks about your role in the war, but mostly about the aftermath. It says here that you led the effort to spread King Xander's new and radical policies, and that your wife–"

" _Excuse me?"_ Leo cut in, eyes as wide as saucers. " _Wife?_ "

Oops.

Sakura guessed that the whole marriage thing didn't happen yet. "S-Sorry if it startled you… but this is your history, so I thought that I should share…"

"And although I'm grateful for it, don't read me anything more," said Leo. "I don't want to hear about her."

"Why not?" If Sakura could travel to the future and learn about the man she married, she'd want to know every single detail about him.

"Because, what if I already know her?" he retorted. "It'd make things awkward for me anytime I crossed paths with her. So, I'd rather not know her name or anything like that."

Sakura had to suppress her laughter as she thought about how someone like Leo, who exuded as much confidence as four Hanas put together, felt awkward about the possibility of being around his future wife.

"O-Okay. I won't say a word then. B-But now that we know that you traveled to the future, l-let's see if we can find some answers on how you can go back home."

Whatever confidence she mustered up while thinking about getting Leo home a quickly as possible was slowly beginning to diminish, as this was proving to be difficult.

The internet had a lot of theories about time travel, but not enough solid evidence. It was to be expected – not many people thought it was real. Before Leo came crashing through her mirror, even Sakura had a hard time believing in time travel.

With each click of a web page, she found herself growing more frustrated on not being able to find something of use. Everything was either too complicated or a joke. Was there any correlation as to why he came through her bedroom mirror, and not some wormhole out of thin air?

Was the mirror the only way for him to go back? If so, that wasn't an option anymore. He'd already broken it.

Leo must have seen the look of irritation on her face, because in a cool, calm voice, he said, "Don't stress yourself over it. We can always search the internet for answers another time."

She smiled. "Y-You're right. Is there anything you'd like to do instead?"

"If I remember correctly, you did say you'd let me use the internet to learn more about technology," said Leo with a smirk. "I've realized that while I'm here, I should at least take the time to learn about this place."

"Then here," Sakura started, giving up her seat at the desk. "You can use it now."

Leo looked quite pleased when he sat down in front of the computer, but he was just as terrible as using the computer as her father. It was kind of funny. Sakura was having so much fun watching Leo that Hinoka's voice from downstairs announcing that she was home gave her such a fright.

"Who was that?" Leo asked, as Sakura suddenly closed the laptop right in front of him.

"M-My sister!" she cried. "Oh no, I forgot to start dinner… I forgot to change out of my uniform! Ah, um… y-you need to hide!"

"'Hide'?" he parroted. "Hide _where?_ "

Sakura whipped her head around to find a good spot for Leo to hide in until her eyes fell on the perfect one. "Th-There!" Sakura cried, pointing at her closet. "H-Hide in there! A-And take the armor with you!"

Leo was just about to protest, but as soon as they heard footsteps coming upstairs, Leo scrambled into Sakura's closet with his armor, and Sakura closed the door. Just in time too, because no sooner after that did Hinoka begin knocking on her door. "Hey Sakura," she called out, "are you in there?"

"Uh, y-yeah! Come on in–" Oh no! The gauntlets! Leo left his gauntlets on the edge of her bed!

In a mad dash, Sakura snatched them from her bed and got on the floor to toss them underneath the bed just as the doorknob began to turn. When Hinoka peered in, her brow wrinkled in confusion. Sakura didn't blame her. Sakura's own brow would have wrinkled in confusion if she came in only to find her sister on her hands and knees on the floor.

"…Is everything _okay?_ " she asked tentatively.

"Just fine," Sakura responded, her smile strained.

"Okay, so, why are you on the floor?"

Leave it to Hinoka not to beat around the bush. "I um… I-I was looking for–"

"And why is your mirror broken?"

"Oh! S-See, I broke it by accident…" When Hinoka arched an eyebrow in question, Sakura took that as her cue to explain. "I-I came back from the store w-with my new uniform with Hana, a-and I was so excited to try it on. I um… I got _r-really_ excited and I ended up knocking over the mirror and it broke… s-so now I'm looking on the floor to see if I missed any shards… ehehehe…"

Hinoka's eyes narrowed at her before she began to laugh. "Aww man, I remember how excited I was when I first started high school. You're gonna have lots of fun. But, just try not to knock anything else down in your excitement. I'll get you a vacuum later just in case you missed anything."

"Ah, th-thank you, Hinoka." Her voice had been so quiet that her sister probably didn't hear her over her laughter. "I-I'll get dinner started in a bit, d-don't worry."

"Sounds good. See you downstairs then." Hinoka shut the door behind her, and when Sakura was sure that she was out of earshot, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. As soon as Leo emerged from her closet, the panic that flew out of her system returned once more. How was she going to keep him a secret as they searched for a way to get him back home?

Her headache came back full force this time.

* * *

 **AN:** So, if you did read the oneshot (The 4th chapter of Hand in Hand), I just wanted to let you know that most of the scenes in there will be altered. What's left will most likely get cut. Also, concerning Sakura's middle school graduation and starting high school dates, it's based off of how school in Japan works.

Hope y'all enjoyed it.


	2. Being Mature

**AN:** Heeey, look what's back! Super glad people are still interested in this, so that's a big relief! I know the first chapter really piggybacked off of the oneshot, but hopefully in this chapter I've provided you all with new content.

Enjoy.

* * *

"So, how did that uniform fit, Miss I'm-So-Excited-I-Could-Break-Something?" Hinoka snickered. Sakura turned her attention from the stove to look at Hinoka sitting at the counter behind her. When Sakura's cheeks turned a small shade of red, Hinoka waved it off. "Oh, don't be so embarrassed. It's cute that you're so excited about school."

Sakura managed a small smile. "Ah, w-well… the uniform fit just fine, but something bothers me about it…"

Hinoka's cat-like grin faded in an instant. "Well if it fits just fine, then what's wrong with it?"

Slowly, Sakura returned her attention to the stove once more, using the spatula to toss around some vegetables in the pan. "M-Maybe it's not the uniform. Maybe it's me… I-I don't know. When I tried it on, I didn't _feel_ like a high schooler. It k-kind of bothers me."

Ah, the woes of a teenage girl. Hinoka remembered feeling that way herself when she'd been Sakura's age. She hadn't been as tall as some of the other girls in her class, nor did her body look the way that theirs did. Somehow, she managed to get over it. "You know, Sakura, it's perfectly normal to feel that way. As excited as I was to go to high school, I was self-conscious about my body, and how I didn't seem to be growing like everyone else."

Sakura gasped, whipping around to face Hinoka in disbelief. "Y-You? Self-conscious…?" She paused. "I-I don't believe you. You're so confident."

She gave a snort. "Yeah, now. Back then, no. It really bothered me so much that I'd often get distracted in class."

"So, what did you do?" Sakura asked.

"This was around the time I started talking to Setsuna," said Hinoka before giving a laugh. "During free period, she asked what was wrong and I told her. Then she suggested doing something different with my hair."

She gasped. "I-Is that why you cut it?"

"Well, I didn't cut it. Setsuna offered to cut it for me. I was so mad at her when she first did it," Hinoka said. "She kept cutting it. 'Oh no, it's not even!' I only wanted it a couple inches shorter, but by the time she finished, I couldn't even put it in a little ponytail."

Sakura brought a hand over her lips in an attempt to stifle a laugh. "So that's what happened! Takumi and I always wondered, but neither of us ever thought to ask you. Mom was so shocked when you came home."

"Gods, I thought she was gonna faint with the way she started breathing." The two of them laughed before Sakura turned around to focus on dinner. "Dad thought I looked cool though. If I remember, you seemed disappointed that I went and got it cut."

"I-I really admired how long and pretty it was," she spoke. "And I loved brushing it for you at night."

"Even though it's the older sister's job to take care of the younger one?"

"I didn't mind…" said Sakura. "You know, I-I was just thinking how if I grew my hair out, maybe I'd start to look like a high school student."

Hinoka raised her eyebrows, her curiosity piqued. "Longer hair, huh? I think you'd look nice. You'd pull it off better than I could, since you maintain your hair better than I do." Oh, how Hinoka wished she hadn't gotten Sumeragi's wild hair – it frizzed up in humidity, and it took hours to make it look presentable, only to look unkempt right after some light winds blew through it.

Sakura gotten her lovely silky hair from their mother, but not even she was able to escape the awful bedhead that ran in their family. If anyone was truly blessed, it was Takumi. Hinoka chuckled. "Maybe you could grow it as long as Takumi's."

"Oh, I could never hold a candle to Takumi's hair. It's so perfect, and he never has to do anything with it," Sakura said.

It was true. Takumi just woke up, tied his hair in a ponytail and moved on. If Hinoka was being honest, she kind of envied him for it. However, she'd die before she ever admitted it. "Still though, it's nice that you wanna grow your hair out, but really, don't sweat the small stuff. You'll look back on it all when you're a senior and think about what a long way you've come."

Sakura let out a small giggle. "Thanks, Hinoka. I really – oh!"

The was a loud crashing sound, as if something from upstairs had fallen. Hinoka's eyes narrowed. "What was that?"

"Wh-What was what?" Sakura asked.

"…You didn't hear that just now? C'mon, you had to have heard it." It was loud. When Sakura turned to shrug, Hinoka moved from her seat at the counter. "I'm gonna go check on whatever fell over."

"W-Wait!" Sakura cried! "I-I can check on it…"

Hinoka frowned. "But you're cooking."

"Y-yes but… um…" Sakura began to play with the hem of her apron, as if she something was making her nervous. "I-I need you to go to the store for me! We're out of… s-soy sauce…"

Hinoka could have sworn that they purchased some not too long ago, but then again, the only thing she ever paid attention to were leftovers in the fridge and snacks in the cupboard. "Okay… sure. I guess I'll be back soon then." She grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and slipped her arms through the sleeves. "Do you need anything else?"

"U-um… I'll call you if I think of anything?"

"Sakura," Hinoka deadpanned.

"Oh, okay. J-Just the soy sauce then."

Hinoka gave a small nod before turning to leave. When the door finally closed, Sakura turned off the stove completely and rushed to her room. When she opened the door, she saw that one of the bottom shelves on her bookshelf had come undone. Leo was on the floor, frantically trying to pick up the books that had fallen before Sakura's abrupt entrance startled him.

When he realized that he had nothing to fear, he let out a breath of relief. "Don't barge in like that," he scolded. "I thought you were someone else."

If anything, she should have been scolding him about making so much noise while her family was here, but she knew it wasn't his fault. The bottom shelf had always been finicky, and she'd been meaning to ask her father to fix it but every time Sumeragi came home, she was so excited to see him that she forgot about everything else.

"I-I'm sorry, but you really have to try to be more careful when you're in here," Sakura said before moving to put the wooden board back in its proper place. Once it was as sturdy as she was going to get it, she began to carefully place her books back. "M-My sister almost came up here. She c-could have found you!"

"I do apologize," said Leo. "I'm not sure what happened. I was curious about certain books of yours, and when I removed one from the bottom shelf, it just collapsed."

"Wh-What kind of certain books?"

Leo moved to pick up one with a girl on the cover, dressed in a sundress while holding a parasol.

Sakura's cheeks immediately reddened. Her shojo manga! He was reading it! She wanted to scream as Leo flipped through it. "I've never seen a book with so many illustrations in it," he said. "Though, I feel like there are more illustrations than words. This was the one I picked up first but it said volume four. I realized volume one was all the way at the bottom and, well, you know what happened. You really should organize your book case better."

"I um… will definitely do that i-in the future…" she said before taking the book from him to place back on the shelf."

"Or I can do it for you," Leo offered. "There isn't much to do around here so this would be a good use of my time."

As nice as it was, Sakura really didn't want Leo to accidentally knock something over again. Hinoka wasn't going to go to the store for her a second time. "M-Maybe we can do it together later? Just in case i-if anything falls, It won't sound so strange."

"…Fair enough," said Leo. "I'll keep myself occupied with the books on the top of the shelf then."

Once everything was back where it belonged, Sakura excused herself from the bedroom to return to preparing dinner. She hadn't even taken three steps out the door before popping back in. "Um, d-dinner will probably be finished in an hour so, I-I hope you're not too hungry."

Leo's attention turned from the books on the shelf to Sakura. "Hm? You aren't going to sneak me downstairs, are you?"

"Oh no, I-I'm going to bring it up to you later," she said, "so hang tight."

"You have my thanks, Sakura. I appreciate it."

She smiled. "It's no problem at all, r-really." Once she was out of her room, Sakura could hear the front door open. Hinoka was back, and just in time too.

* * *

It had been a while since Ikona was able to join the rest of the family for dinner. Some days, work had kept her away from home longer than she liked, but time always seemed to get away from her whenever she put her focus on healing an animal in need.

Today, she finished everything that she needed to, and her children were just happy to share a meal with her before their school schedules got in the way of any quality time they could spend with one another. Of course, things weren't quite like they used to be since Sumeragi was usually gone and Ryoma had a place of his own, but this was still enjoyable.

The current hot topic at the table was Ikona's day at work. Sakura asked, because she loved to listen to her mother talk about all the adorable animals she saved on a daily basis. She set her drink down on the table and gave a nostalgic smile. "You know, a baby pegasus came in today. Its wing had been fractured, but it was an easy fix. Though, it did remind me of the little one we housed years ago."

"You mean the one Hinoka snuck inside the house," Takumi corrected, earning a scowl from Hinoka.

Someone always told the story a bit differently, Sakura noticed, only because she barely remembered anything since she was so young. All she had to know was that Hinoka brought back a baby pegasus she found in the woods one day. She hid her in the basement since no one in the house really used it.

Sumeragi found the pegasus at two in the morning, eating the roof of a gingerbread house Takumi made at school (which the rest of the family is pretty sure he never truly got over) and got a belly ache shortly afterwards. Although she was scolded for it, Ikona and Sumeragi let her keep the pegasus until she was ready to be out on her own again.

Everyone agreed that Sumeragi told the story the best, but there was something really funny about Takumi's retelling of his heartbreak concerning the gingerbread house.

"Yes, that one," Ikona said before giving a laugh. "I think Hinoka was 11 back then. Ah, you all are growing up so fast."

"Here we go with the sentimental speech," Hinoka mumbled. Apart from Ryoma, their whole family was a sentimental bunch, although some more than others.

"Hinoka and Takumi are going to be graduating next spring, and oh! Sakura, you're starting high school soon," Ikona chirped. "I remember your first day in elementary school, and Takumi had to hold your hand all the way there. I think I still have that picture somewhere."

Takumi lowered his head, but there was no mistaking the pop of color on his cheeks. "Mom, stop. That's kind of embarrassing."

Sakura let the piece of meat she picked up with her chopsticks fall back onto her plate. Maybe it was a bad idea to ask Takumi to walk with her to school, lest her mother start taking pictures the morning of. Still, she and Takumi would be going go the same place. Why shouldn't she ask?

"Mom, please," said Hinoka. "Sakura's a big girl now. She can walk to school by herself."

Oh right. That was why. Sakura was going to be 15 in less than two weeks, so Sakura supposed that she should be capable of walking to school by herself. Maybe this was the reason why she didn't feel mature, because she was still doing the same childish things she always did. "It's okay, Mom," Sakura said. "I really can walk to school by myself. I know where it is and everything."

Takumi's eyes narrowed at her momentarily before he turned his attention to the food on his plate, and Sakura wondered if she had said something wrong.

"Oh, just hearing that makes me realize that you all won't stay young forever," Ikona sighed. "And that means that I'm not getting any younger either…"

"And here we go with the 'I'm getting gray hairs and crows feet' complaint," Takumi grumbled before placing the food between his chopsticks into his mouth. No one was really sure what gray hairs Ikona was talking about, but maybe she was doing something to keep them hidden.

Hinoka was sure she saw a box of red hair dye sitting in the bathroom's trash bin a month ago. She told Ryoma about it over the phone, which Takumi happened to overhear. Then he told Sakura, who awkwardly told her mother she looked beautiful that day.

Ikona, although a tad bit skeptical at first, took the compliment relatively well and went on her day. Ever since then, Sakura wasn't sure if she should keep complimenting her mother out of the blue, in case she thought that she was buttering her up for an increase in allowance or something.

"Lately, I've been seeing lines on my face, and I've been trying my hardest to get rid of them. I bought this face cream for it but I'm not sure if it's working–"

As their mother went on worrying about her age, her three children thought it would be best to keep quiet, only throwing out phrases like, "Mom, that's not true," and "You look young enough to be my sister," when the time called for it. After dinner, Takumi and Hinoka offered to do the dishes, but Sakura assured them that is was okay.

Takumi frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, as much as I hate doing dishes, you _did_ do the cooking after all. Doesn't seem fair to let you do everything."

"Yeah, you don't have to do everything by yourself, you know," said Hinoka.

"I-I know," Sakura said, "b-but I don't mind. Honestly." That and it'd be a lot easier to give Leo his dinner with everyone out of the kitchen.

"If you say so," Takumi shrugged before walking with Hinoka out of the kitchen.

Hinoka looked over her shoulder to say, "I'll make it up to you another time."

"Hopefully not by cooking," Takumi quipped, and Hinoka elbowed him. "Ouch! Hey, it was just a joke!"

When the two of them left to return to their respective rooms, Sakura washed each plate, bowl and dish and dried them off completely before making Leo a plate. She hoped he liked it, otherwise, he'd be starving for the rest of the night. She piled his food and drink onto a tray and took it up to her bedroom.

When she arrived, Leo looked up from his book to greet her. "Ah, you're back. Did you enjoy dinner?"

"I did," she smiled, using her foot to shut the door behind her, "and I brought you something. I hope I didn't make you wait too long for it." She set the tray onto a small table in the center of her room.

Leo sat on one of the cushions, eyeing the plate of food before him. "What is it?"

"Oh! Um, th-this is teriyaki beef… with rice on the side." She really hoped Leo didn't gag as soon as it touched his tongue.

"And these," he said, holding one chopstick in each hand, "are what Hoshidans call 'chopsticks,' correct?"

"Th-That's right." Did Nohrians from his period even use chopsticks? That must have been way before the two countries shared their cultures and customs with one another. "If you w-want a fork and a spoon instead, I can get you one."

"No need," said Leo. "I said I wanted to learn everything I could about this place, so that includes cutlery and cuisine… Now, how do I…" In that instant, Leo used one of the sticks to skewer one of the pieces of beef, startling Sakura in the processes. He brought it to his mouth, brow creasing as he decided whether or not he liked it. His features relaxed, and he gave a smile. "Ah, I've had beef before, but not quite like this. You must've added Hoshidan spices to this dish, yes?"

Just as Leo was about to stab another piece of meat with his chopstick, Sakura moved to sit across from him, catching the sides of his hand to stop him. "I-I'm really glad you like it, b-but we don't eat with chopsticks like that…"

He stared at her for a moment, cheeks slowly turning red. "By the look on your face, I'm assuming that I've messed up horribly."

"Um… w-we consider it to be very rude…"

"Gods, I'm terribly sorry. I don't mean to offend–"

"I-It's okay!" Sakura cut in. "This is your first time using them so I know you didn't mean to. Um, when you eat with chopsticks, y-you hold both sticks in one hand." Leo looked perplexed, so Sakura reached out to fix the chopsticks in his hands properly. "A-And now you should be able to pick up the meat between them."

His hands were a bit shaky, but he'd managed to get some food into his mouth, and that earned him a small smile from Sakura. "While a bit more challenging than I expected, I'm sure I can overcome mere Hoshidan cutlery. Thank you for teaching me, Sakura."

She nodded, pink faintly dusting her cheeks. "Y-You're welcome."

When Leo was finished with his dinner, Sakura left to wash the dishes and to retrieve the air mattress that had been stored in the basement. It had taken her forever to find, and all the dust she went through to get it made her eyes water, and her sneeze. Thankfully, when she did find it, there were no holes in (none that she could see anyway) and it was kept in very good condition.

When she took it back to her room, Leo's eyes went from the flattened mattress in her arms, to her, and then back to the mattress before narrowing his gaze. "And what is that?"

"W-Well, I thought about where you'd be sleeping earlier, and since you have to stay in here, I thought I'd bring you a mattress."

He watched as she moved the table out of the way before taking the mattress out of it's clear bag, and spreading it out on the floor. "So, you're telling me that I must sleep on that flattened thing? No offense, Sakura, but wouldn't it be the same as having me sleep on the floor?"

"It wouldn't, because I'm going to put air in it," she said, hooking up the mattress. "A-And then you'll be able to sleep comfortably."

"Air?" Leo asked in disbelief. "How am I to sleep on – oh gods, why is it making such an awful noise?"

"That means it's working."

As it rose, Leo gasped. "What kind of witchery is this…?" he asked.

Once the air mattress was completely blown up, Sakura gave it a gentle pat. "Okay, you can try it out now."

Leo folded his arms across his chest with a frown. "But Sakura, it's only filled with air. Won't it… pop if I sit on it?"

She couldn't help but giggle. "N-Not unless you sit on it with your armor. Watch," she said before sitting on the bed. "It's super soft and nice. You give it a try."

Although hesitant, Leo sat gingerly next to Sakura. His hands gently pushed down on the mattress before he decided to lay down on it, staring right up at the ceiling. "I've never felt anything like this," he spoke, almost as if he were in a daze. "It feels like… like…"

"Like you're on air?" Sakura finished. When he nodded, she let out a giggle. "I'm glad you like it. Let me get some proper blankets on it, and then you can lay on it all you want."

In no time, Sakura had fitted sheets and a blanket on Leo's temporary bed, and as soon as Leo lied down, there was a knock at her door. "Sakura? Can I come in?"

She and Leo shared similar looks of panic before she pointed to the closet. Then, Leo shot her an incredulous look. "And the bed?" he whispered harshly.

"T-Take it with you," she said, moving the mattress to stand. "I-It can fit if it goes in that way."

"It's going to take up so much space. Where do I go?" When she pointed underneath her bed, Leo gave her one of the most annoyed looks he could ever throw. "I beg your pardon, but I think not."

"Sakura, are you in there?" A panic like no other flew through Leo as soon as he heard the door handle jiggle.

"Uh, g-give me a moment, please!" she cried. She turned to him, eyes begging him to cooperate, and Leo took the mattress to the closet, sliding the door open before doing his best to carefully place the mattress inside. Once it was in and the door was closed properly, he begrudgingly shimmied underneath Sakura's bed.

Boy, if Nohr had known that she was treating a prince like this, they'd surely have her head. "C-Come in," she spoke, and in walked her older brother. "Oh, h-hi Takumi. Did you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to talk," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Is that okay?"

Oh gods, if anyone could read her like an open book, it was Takumi. What would he say to her? That she took too long to answer the door? Or that her wanting to do all the dishes by herself was weird? Was he onto her already? Swallowing her fears, she asked, "A-About what?"

"About what happened at dinner earlier."

Now that she recalled, Takumi did shoot her some kind of look at the dinner table earlier. "Oh, d-did I say something to offend you? I'm really sorry if that's the case."

"No, no. It's not that," he said. "You just seem so set on going to school by yourself even though we're going the same way. Is this some kind of 'I'm not a child' anymore phase?"

Well it sounded childish when he put it like that. "I, um… I guess you could say that. I just want to do things on my own and be mature… and not get in people's way or ask them to do things for me."

His expression softened, and he lets out a sigh. "Sakura, I don't do stuff with you just because I'm your older brother looking out for you. I do stuff you because I genuinely like being around you, just as much as I like being around my friends."

"D-Do you really mean that?" she asked, hand covering her mouth in surprise.

"Of course. So, you don't have to act all grown up and say you can handle things on your own. Everyone knows you can," Takumi said. "We don't have to walk together though, I'm sure you wanna go with Hana or something, but I just wanted to let you know that the option is there."

Sakura gave him her warmest smile. "We can all go together! I want to be with the people closest to me on that day, a-and every day after that, so I want to walk with the both of you. Besides, this is your last year, so we won't get to after that, right?"

He laughed. "I suppose that's true. We'll make the most of it then. Thanks for listening to me."

"No, thank you for coming to talk to me. I'm really glad you did. Good night, Takumi."

"Night," said Takumi, and as soon as he heard the door close, Leo shimmied back out from underneath the bed. "Oh, I hope we didn't keep you under there too long."

"No, no. I'm fine," Leo said, dusting himself off. "I apologize for eavesdropping on a very personal conversation."

She shrugged. "I-It's not like you could help it or anything, so it's okay."

"Though, the bond you have with your own brother seems to be something special, wouldn't you say?"

"Y-Yes, I'd say so…"

Leo looked her over once more before moving to retrieve his mattress from the closet. "Then you should cherish it."

Sakura wanted to ask Leo why he said something like that all of a sudden, but then she remembered his reluctance to share information about a run-in with his own brother, and she frowned. When she turned out the lights, the thought swirled in her mind until she fell asleep, making her forget about her nervousness about sharing her room with a boy.

* * *

Leo seemed to be adjusting to his new life in the modern world as Sakura's recluse roommate. For the past few days, he spent his time on the computer, doing web searches with Sakura, or reading. As much as Leo loved reading and learning about new things, sitting around in Sakura's bedroom caused him to feel a bit restless.

He longed to go out for a walk, even just for a few minutes, but of course, that would end in a disaster. Instead, Leo sat quietly at Sakura's desk, reading these peculiar books she called "manga." He wasn't going to read them at first, deeming it a bit too childish for him because of the overwhelming number of pictures in it. Honestly, how could it have any substance?

As he read through it, however, Leo soon learned that the pictures were a visual aid to the story, and their facial expressions and body language captured in these drawings were so amazing that words couldn't accurately depict what was going on.

Briefly, Leo thought that his little sister would absolutely enjoy a book like this.

"Sakura," he called out to her, "I have a question about your manga."

Sakura looked up from her own book to give Leo her undivided attention. "What is it?"

"The girl in this book… It's painfully obvious that the boy she's constantly around is in love with her," he said. "Why does she continue to downplay her worth?"

"W-Well, the main character has never been loved by someone before, nor has she ever been in love, s-so it's a little difficult for her…" Sakura said. Explaining shojo manga to Leo was kind of weird, but he was so curious about it. How could she say no?

Leo's gaze hardened. "Well, he needs to stop wasting time and confess already." When Sakura donned a goofy smile and a giggle slipped past her lips, Leo's eyes widened. "Wait, does he?"

"M-Maaaybe…" Sakura beamed.

"And how does it go?"

"Um… it's… I can't spoil it for you. You'll have to read it on your own."

Leo let out a sigh. "This is the most aggravating story I've ever read." And yet, he kept on reading.

"Sakura!" Hinoka called from downstairs. "Hana's here to see you!"

She gasped. "Um, g-give me a moment!" she cried before turning to Leo. "Y-You need to go hide in the closet!"

Again? This was the third time today! "And for what reason?"

"M-My friend is here, and she might be coming up to my room, so you have to stay out of sight."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Well tell her to go home! You can hang out with her another day!"

Sakura placed her hand on her chest, as if offended. "L-Leo, that's rude. She came all the way over here just to see me. It'd be rude if I just told her to go."

"Why can't you?" he asked. "I do it any time I feel it's necessary."

She gave a pout. _Well, we can't all be royalty like you…_ The two of them could hear footsteps hurrying up the stairs, and Leo didn't have to even look at Sakura's puppy dog eyes to hide inside the closet.

"Yo, Sakura!" Hana called out, not even bothering to knock before opening the door to Sakura's room. "I come with exciting news! Look at what my dad gave me!"

Hana reached into her pocket, taking out a brand-new phone. What really caught her attention was the strap decorated with cherry blossoms. "Oh wow! That's amazing! What's the occasion?"

Sheepishly, Hana scratched the back of her head. "Nothing, actually. He just wanted to spoil me for once. That, and I think he just really wants to make sure I'm safe at any time."

"Well, fathers always check up on their daughters after all," said Sakura with a smile. She remembered getting her first phone in middle school because Sumeragi wanted to make sure she was alright even miles away from her. He accidentally called her during class once, forgetting that Nohr and Hoshido have different time zones while on a business trip. Her poor little phone got taken away for the day, but they did chat after school. "Um, Hana? Did you come to hang out?"

"Ah, I wanted to, since this is our last free day before school, but my mom's having me do chores," she sighed. "This whole 'look what I got' thing was also a way for me to catch a break and come talk to you for a bit. Are you still nervous about going?"

Nervousness hadn't occurred to her. Not since she had Leo to take care of, but he gave her other things to be apprehensive about. Now that she thought about it, Leo would be alone… without Sakura to watch over him… "Y-You could say that I am still nervous."

"I thought so, and that's why I brought this! Tada!" Hana chirped, pulling out a phone strap identical to hers from her pocket. "When Dad took me out, I bought one myself so we'd be matching!"

She placed it in Sakura's hand, and she marveled at it for a moment before looking up at Hana. "Oh, this is so nice of you! Thank you so much, Hana."

Hana let out a small giggle. "Anytime! I should get going, but I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Definitely! Let's walk together."

"Sure! I'll be knocking at your door bright and early tomorrow!"

As soon as Hana left, Leo stepped out from Sakura's closet. "Pardon me for eavesdropping, but the two of you kept bringing up the subject of 'school.' Do you really have to go?"

Sakura nodded. "Y-Yes. School is a facility of learning, and everyone has to receive an education."

Leo's eyes widened. "So, school truly does exist outside of that… manga I've been reading?"

"Yes… Wh-Why wouldn't it?" she asked.

"You told me it was a work of fiction, so I assumed they all lived in some fictional world where commoners received an education." Leo said. He wondered if that's why monarchs did not exist, because the peasants could read and write. "Though, I am curious to know, why do you have to go somewhere else to receive an education? Don't your tutors come to your home? Besides, do you really need school if you have the internet?"

Sakura wanted to laugh. She was sure Takumi said something to that effect when they were younger. "W-Well, school is a little different from learning from internet. You sit in a class w-with your peers and you learn together. There are d-different subjects like math, language, science, and history… and you get tested on whether or not you've been retaining the information."

At that moment, Leo's eyes practically began to shine. "How remarkable. And all commoners get to use this resource?"

"Y-Yes," Sakura nodded, although a little put off by his wording. "School is usually free for everyone. If you wanted to go to a private school or higher education, y-you'd have to pay."

"Sakura," he started, "I think I'd like to accompany you to school."

"Wh-What?" she squeaked. "B-But you can't just walk in and sit at a desk!"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "And why not? I thought you said it was free."

"I-It is free, but you have to be enrolled," she explained. "A-And besides, I wasn't telling you about it so you could go. I told you because you asked. Th-That and I won't be here with you for most of the day…"

Leo frowned. "So, I'm to be here by myself?"

She nodded. "And I want you to be extremely careful while you're here. That means no exploring the house when I'm not around, or popping up in front of my family."

"But if it worries you that much, wouldn't it be better to take me to school with you so that you can keep an eye on me?" he asked.

Although Leo made a solid point, she couldn't allow it. While he had known that, he still wished he could attend. For now, he'd have to ask questions about Sakura's day at school whenever she came home. It was yet another thing he envied about her.


End file.
